National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1887-06-28
Abolish Camp Meetings AItogether.

aDoHbn Sa"p meetings AttDGetnBr.
EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN. "Wash-
ipgton Grove Camp-No More Sunda,
Meetings nor Free Lunches" The aboyt
lie the heading of an article which receutly
appeared in the REPUBLICAN,, aud was TIN
prelude to the statement OF an importau;
action taken by the trustees aud stockholh
ers Of the Washington Grove Camp Meetin-
Association an meeting held In the Fou1.
dry NJ. Il. Church. The meeting had befor
It "the subject Of Sunday travel to tn.
camp grounds as a part Of the method f.,
carrying on the camp meeting. After Il
somewhat thorough and very spirited de
bate, resolution condemning Sundav
travel to the camp ground was sustained
and this upon "high moral aud religion.
grounds.n All praise to the trustees au
stockholders of the Washington Grow
Camp Meeting Association. On "higA
moral and religious grounds" this is a step
eminently In the right direction--a recogni
ton Of the sacred character Of the Christian
Sabbath which the Christian public OF
Washington aud, for that matter, Of the
country at large cannot afford to ignore.
But why not go step further aud make
the matter and principle complete by abDl
ishing camp meetings altogether As ii
necessity, in exceptional cases and to u
limited extent, this method Of conducting
religious meetings may have had q utility
and have been the means Of accomplishing
good ends, but as an institution, neverl Let
our Methodist friends and all other religious
bodies, whoever they may be, who eucour-
age and sustain camp meetings, as usually
conducted, completely withdraw their APP
proval and support from all such methods
and they will withdraw their approval and
support from an untold amount of scandal
and mischief-will help drop out one Of the
most questionable means OF religious In
structlop now sanctioned by one OF the
largest and most influential church orgaui-
| cations, but nowhere to be found among
| the sober, rational methods Of the Bible,
| nor In harmony with the best and most on
| lightened sentiment Of the age in which we
| live. The world moves, and all rational,
| order.loying, to cay nothing Of truly devout
| people, must realize and acknowledge that
our American world has moved far away
and beyond and above the necessities,
whatever and whenever required, aud
the credentials and inccngrnities whict
inherently attach to and will forever form
n part OF camp meetings, as religious, edo
| cational, and church-going institutions. A
large contingent Of the crowds who FIRE
| quent camp meetings especially, on the Sab
bath--that is, par excellence, DEVILS day
| Is miscellaneous company, IL not HARD
1 upon a rabble, of excitement seeking, mis-
l chief.makiug, nmusemtnt-loving people,
1 who 90 there for no earthly good, aud they
l do their best to realize their own wishe.
and to accomplish the purposes for which
they are there, and those purposes are any
thing and everything but what is known by
the name or nature of the religion OF the
Bible or even Of good morals.
Very likely IL will be claimed by the sup
| porters OF these gatherings, and there Ia NJ
objection to the claim, that camp meetings
like thousand other popular, and, at tue
time OF their origin, seemingly necessary
practices and customs, now obsolete ant
forgotten, answered large public neces
sity. BE 1t so. In this case, as In all ether
similar cases, the necessity controlled auG
gave character tu the thing made necessary
The necessity has passsd, aud with 1t has
passed the utility and the good whatever
that may have been. Comparatively, caml
meetings originated in the twilight OF pop
ular intelligence, when houses or places 70
public worship were few and church eli
fees were still fewer, or In communities
and under governments, where blgotry auC
uncharity and heavy intolerance ruled with
rod OF iron all who dared to dissent from
the religious formulas and church methods
of the ruling class, and compelled such, |
they would read and expound Gods wore
according TO their own convictions, o
raise an audible public supplication to tn
great tather OF all, or utter Ills praise II
song after their own fashion, to do thes
things only as they hid themselves In TIL
caves Of the earth, or stole away into the darI
coverts Of the forest. Such times an,
necessities, II they anywhere now exist
have no place In the land We are prout
ard happy to call ours. Here, with th
broadcast latitude accorded to social priI,
ileges and personal liberty, where churche
for the most part abound, and never NOR
ready to be occupied than at the very tim
when camp meetings do more abound
giye.a complete negative TO the plea OF niece;
sity us an argument for such. methods
The resolution. which was sustained an
the intelligent exposition of the subject o
1t predicated upon it, upon Singh mora
aud and religious grounds" had at th
meeting referred to, demonstrate that sue
Is the case, and that among a peupl
hitherto their most ardent patrons aud al
vocates. Let us then bs done with sue
conyentlcles and gatherings for religion
teaching, and the country and world wi
be the better for 1t. PRoGREs5.